When Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves were both healthy, the Los Angeles Lakers could have easily taken their chances with any of the possible teams they were set to match up with between seeds three through six. Now, they must choose options wisely.
With all the tiebreakers in their favor, the Lakers still have the inside track on locking down the third seed. There are two main problems with that. One: the Denver Nuggets are surging, winning their last nine games in a row. Two: Los Angeles' remaining opponets are no cakewalk.
Mathematically, the Lakers cannot finish worse than fifth in the Western Conference following their explosive March and the Minnesota Timberwolves slipping a bit in the four-man race. That last part also hints at what the best path forward for Los Angeles would be.
The Lakers' struggles with health are well-documented. The Timberwolves are similarly dealing with a combination of injuries. Any hopes of getting to the second round, giving Doncic and Reaves a chance to return, are best served through facing a team with ailments of their own.
Timberwolves suddenly look like the Lakers' best shot to escape the first round
Jon Krawczynski detailed the Timberwolves' struggles well in a recent piece over at The Athletic.
“It feels like we’re a million miles away from the team that we can be and that we are,” Chris Finch told Krawczynski after the latest 122-108 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
Knee issues for Anthony Edwards have left a massive question mark over his short-term health for the Timberwolves. Edwards has only played in two of the last 10 games for Minnesota due to what Krawczynski described in layman's terms as a runner's knee. The NBA writer mentioned this was the same issue that kept Stephen Curry absent from the Golden State Warriors for 27 games in a row.
If you are a team with a massive question mark around the health of your superstar (and his co-star), facing a team navigating similarly treacherous waters would provide a somewhat more level playing field than other matchups. The Lakers still have work to do in order to get there.
Despite having one of the toughest strengths of schedule consistently through the stretch run of the regular season, the Nuggets have just kept winning all the same. The Lakers will need to hope for some slippage there, but that much is mostly out of their control.
The Lakers have matchups remaining against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, a Warriors team that has Curry back, and the Utah Jazz. It's not an easy slate of games for a team down their two main guys. Unfortunately for Los Angeles, it is still a situation that begs for them to go 3-1 at the least to give themselves a long-term chance to make a run.